Promised
by sunshineandfandoms
Summary: Clarissa Morgenstern knows many things. She knows that her father is the king of a small nation named Alicante. She knows that one day her brother, Sebastian, will take his place. She knows that her job is to look pretty and do what she is told. And she knows that one day, in the near future, she will wed the prince of Idris, Jonathan Herondale - a man she's never even met.
1. Prologue

Clarissa Morgenstern knows many things. She knows that her father is the king of a small nation named Alicante. She knows that one day her brother, Sebastian, will take his place. She knows that her job is to look pretty and do what she is told. And she knows that one day, in the near future, she will wed the prince of Idris, Jonathan Herondale - a man she's never even met.

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Clarissa was a lonely child. Her mother and father were much too busy with their royal duties to pay much attention to her. Even her brother Sebastian, as much as he wanted to play, was constantly kept busy learning how to rule a country and never had much time for her.

And Clarissa had a lot of time. She didn't have to bother with learning how to rule as she never would. After her father passed away, Sebastian would ascend the throne and eventually pass it on to his son who would pass it onto his son. When Sebastian wasn't learning the responsibilities of ruling he was learning how to fight, as he may need to lead his country into battle one day as his father had before him. However, Clarissa was never allowed to learn - the battlefield was no place for a woman.

Clarissa spent most of her days in lessons with her tutors or reading. She could speak seven languages by the time she was ten and had read every single book in the castle by thirteen. She knew about history, geography, politics, science, numeracy, literature, and astronomy and she had absolutely no use for this information.

She enjoyed learning as it gave her something to do and made her feel like she had a purpose. Like she had something to offer the world. Her father thought her foolish for spending time gaining knowledge she would never have use for. He told her that her only purposes in life were to help her country through marriage and to have children.

Since she was three years old, Clarissa has been promised to Prince Jonathan. It's a mutually beneficial agreement; their marriage will provide an alliance between the two countries. Alicante will have access to Idris' armies and Idris will have much-needed grain and wealth from Alicante that can be used to feed their starving population.

Clarissa's job was to stand by Prince Jonathan's side as he ruled his country and her brother ran her own. She was to have no say in the way either countries were ruled and her single use was to provide Prince Jonathan with heirs.

Her mother and father regularly showered her with gifts, but they didn't love her. Not in the way they loved Sebastian.

Clarissa's only friends all throughout her life had been the maids, guards and kitchen staff that worked in the castle.

But now everything was changing. Clarissa was three days away from her 17th birthday and three days away from her new life.

She was going to Idris, a place she'd never been with people she'd never met, and she was going to be even lonelier than she was at home.

And then there was the fact that she was meeting Prince Jonathan; the man she was expected to spend the rest of her life with.

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 **Hey! If you're here because you read my other story, Forbidden Longing, then welcome back! And if you're new here, then it's nice to have you!**

 **Some quick notes:**

 **Her brother was originally called Jonathan but then I reread and decided to change it to Sebastian as Jace is going to be called Jonathan quite a lot and I don't want it to be confusing.**

 **Alicante and Idris are two different countries.**

 **The inspiration for this story came from the TV show 'Reign' but it is in no way an exact copy, nor do you have to watch that to understand the plot of this story.**

 **I don't know if this story will be updated as much as Forbidden Longing but preferably I'd like to balance them.**

 **This chapter was written in third person but after this, all chapters will be in first person and alternate between Clary and Jace's POVs.**

 **Leave me a review and tell me what you thought of the first chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Clarissa's POV**

I sucked in a breath as my maids laced my corset up, and looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a floor-length, emerald green gown, specifically chosen to compliment my eyes and hair. It was very beautiful and certainly a lot more elegant than my usual dresses but as my mother said, "First impressions are everything".

Today was the day I left for Idris, my new home. I was still anxious about meeting the prince and nothing my mother or my maids said could reassure me.

For almost my entire life I'd been engaged to Prince Jonathan, but for the same amount of time I'd dreamed about falling in love. I knew it was foolish, royals didn't get to marry for love, but I couldn't help it.

My maids, my closest friends, had told me that the prince and I would grow to love each other, but I wasn't sure. My mother and father loved each other to an extent, but it wasn't the kind of love I wanted.

My father, King Valentine, had been infatuated with Lady Jocelyn, a noble woman, ever since he was a teenager and eventually began courting her. They fell in love and quickly got married, raising Sebastian and I together.

But in recent years, things had been tense between them. My mother grew tired of my father's extravagant ideas and opinions and he suspected that her heart belonged to another - which he would be right to think.

When I was nine years old, I found my mother in the arms of another: Lucian, my parent's childhood friend. I was understandably distressed, as I had thought my parents blissfully happy, but my mother had come to me and begged me not to tell my father as he would surely have her executed. I agreed, as I loved and needed my mother, and it's a secret I still kept to this day.

"You look lovely, my dear girl," my mother said, walking in, and taking hold of my hands. She was probably just with Lucian, I thought sadly. "Thank you, mother," I said, pushing it to the back of my mind and smiling up at her.

"Prince Jonathan's a lucky man," she smiled widely, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear that had fallen out of the knot at the back of my head. "Yeah," I said sarcastically, walking over and sitting down on my bed.

She rolled her eyes at me. "And you're lucky too," she told me softly. "I'm not so sure," I whispered. "I am. I'm sure it'll be wonderful," she assured me, leaning over to place a kiss on my forehead. "You'll write to me, yes?" "Of course, mother," I smiled, hugging her tightly.

Some guards came up to collect my luggage and I hugged all my maids goodbye, gave my room a last once-over to check I hadn't left anything and swept out of the room.

My mother, father and brother were all waiting for me at the huge wooden doors. My mother gave me another hug and wished me luck, tears in her eyes, whilst my father shook my hand (he wasn't very affectionate) and told me to behave. I promised I would and turned to my brother.

Sebastian held out his arms for me and I gladly walked into them, wrapping my arms around his muscled torso. "You'll write to me, won't you?" I asked, looking up into his green eyes, exactly like my own. "All the time. I'll miss you," he said, pulling away. "And I you," I said, kissing him on the cheek.

I walked over to the now open doors and looked back to where they were all still waiting. "Goodbye. I love you all!" I told them, tears beginning to form in my eyes.

I walked out to the chorus of many goodbyes from the servants and guards before climbing into the carriage. I waved as we drove away, looking back at the huge castle, sunlight reflecting off the glass towers, that had always been my home. Until now.

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 **Jonathan's POV**

I heard a knock at my door and walked over to open it. "The princess is arriving, Your Highness," a small, blonde maid told me, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you. I'll be down in a moment. Are my parents on their way?" I asked her.

"Yes, Your Grace. They're waiting to greet her," she said in a squeaky, high-pitched voice before leaving.

I walked over to the mirror and looked at myself, straightening my clothes. I was about to meet a future queen, my future wife, and I had no idea what to expect.

I grabbed my cloak and pulled it on, leaving the room and closing my door behind me. As I walked down the hall, I passed the room she would be staying in, right next to mine. I'd been waiting for this day my entire life; the day I would get to meet the girl I would get to call my wife.

I'd had plenty of flings before but I'd never felt this kind of nervousness about meeting a woman before, possibly as I was betrothed to this Princess, Clarissa, and had never been able to have a serious relationship so no girl really mattered.

What if I hated her? What if we didn't get along? What if I wasn't attracted to her? What if she was terrible in bed? I couldn't live like that!

I shook my head to clear it. I hadn't even met the girl and I was already worrying about how good in bed she was. I told myself to lower my expectations: she was surely inexperienced - any woman marrying someone of royal blood had to be 'pure'. It was a stupid rule, if you asked me. Besides, Kings were often expected to have mistresses.

I reached the massive doors and walked out onto the great lawn where a crowd was gathering. I spotted a black carriage pulling up and jogged through the crowd towards my parents.

My mother shot me an irritated look, for being so late, and then turned back around to the front. I followed her gaze and sucked in a breath as the door opened and a beautiful red-headed angel stepped out.

She looked around at the castle, her mouth opening in amazement, before she turned her attention to my parents and I coming towards her.

"Your Majesties," she shot us a small smile, curtsying. "Princess Clarissa, it's lovely to have you here," my mother told her, kissing each of her cheeks.

"Welcome to Idris. I'm Stephen, this is my wife Céline, and my son Jonathan who I'm sure you'll become quite _acquainted_ with." My father smirked at me and then stepped back a bit with my mother.

I walked over to the princess and looked into her beautiful green eyes, the same shade as her dress. "I'm Clarissa," she said smiling at me shyly. "Nope. Too long," I shook my head, stepping back slightly. "And Jonathan isn't?" Clarissa said incredulously. "I prefer Jace actually. You can be..." I thought for a moment before deciding, "Clary." "Only if you want," I added hastily. "Yeah Jace, that's fine. Clary it is," she smiled up at me.

Well that was one problem solved: I was definitely, definitely attracted to her.

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 **Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews I got on the first chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one just as much.**

 **Thoughts on this chapter?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Clary's POV**

"Jonathan, why don't you show the lady to her room?" King Stephen suggested to Jace. "Of course, father," he said, offering me his arm. I took it, and together we walked up the path to the castle.

"Your home is lovely," I said, looking around at the huge stone palace. "But not as lovely as me, right?" Jace said smugly. I raised my eyebrows and chuckled. This boy really loved himself.

"Sure," I offered. We fell into silence for a few minutes as I wracked my brain trying to think of something, anything, to talk about. "So how's Alicante?" he asked eventually.

"It's okay. People are nice, food's delicious, weather's great, loads of new businesses." I paused. "But we're on the brink of war so that's...not so great," I said sadly.

"What happened? I'm sorry I should probably know," Jace said sheepishly. "That's okay. As long as you know what's going on in Idris, right? Basically, the King of Faerie believes he has a right to my father's throne as they're distant cousins or something and both descend from the original founder of Alicante. He believes that he's more fit to rule, and is willing to fight for it. But, we don't have the resources for a war," I explained as we ascended the staircase, my hand still wrapped around his arm. I was surprised to find that his arm was pretty muscly, despite him being a prince.

"And that's why you're here," Jace said. "And that's why I'm here," I confirmed. "It's been brewing for a while, that's why we've been um - " I coughed, "- engaged since we were children."

"I see," he said, smiling. "Well, for me, I've always needed a wife and your country has the most amount of food and grain, whereas my people are slipping further and further into poverty. So you were an advantageous choice."

We turned left at the top of the stairs before Jace stopped in front of a large wooden door. "This is your room," he told me, letting his arm drop and my hand fall before opening the door. "I apologise that the furniture is a bit dated but it's only...temporary," he finished.

The thought sent a shiver done my spine. I would eventually be sharing a room, a bed, with Jace. "That's okay," I said with a small smile.

Suddenly, four girls who looked around my age burst into the room, giggling and chattering. They stopped short when they saw us and then sunk into curtsies. "Prince Jonathan, Princess Clarissa," they chorused.

"Ah yes, Clary, these are your Ladies," Jace explained. My mother had several ladies of course, but I never had, and never expected to.

"This is Maia," he told me, pointing to a dark-skinned girl with dark curly hair and big brown eyes. "Tessa," he pointed to a brunette girl who had beautiful grey eyes and was carrying a book in her hands. I could tell we would be great friends. "Emma," a girl with long blonde hair, some of it braided and wrapped around her head to imitate a crown, and deep brown eyes. "And Isabelle," he said, pointing at the raven-haired goddess. "Watch out for her, she's a menace." Jace warned.

"Jace Herondale! I am not!" Isabelle screeched at him. They seemed awfully close, I wondered how they knew each other.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry." Jace said, backing away. "Clary, my room's right next door if you need me." He gave me a warm smile and left the room, but not before shouting "Take care of her girls!" through the door.

"Clary?" Emma asked. "It's a nickname Jace gave me. You can all call me it too if you would like," I explained.

"Yeah, he did the same to me. Started calling me Izzy and now everyone does," Isabelle laughed. Were Isabelle and Jace together? Was nicknames just something he gave all of his play-things?

"Are you two close?" I asked, trying to sound as neutral as possible. "Yeah -" My heart clenched. "- we grew up together. My brother's his best friend and his head guard," she explained, smiling.

I smiled but I was still confused; she never mentioned whether they dated or not. Tessa walked over and said in my ear, "Their relationship is strictly platonic," whilst the other girls talked.

"How did you know that was what I was thinking?" I asked, incredulously. "I'm very good at reading people," she said, smiling.

"So, Clary, what did girls do for fun in Alicante?" Maia asked, bouncing down on my bed. "Oh I wouldn't really know. I never had many friends," I said, shyly. Isabelle wrapped her arms around my shoulders and said, "Well, you've got four now." I smiled at them all.

"Let's talk about my favourite subject. Boys!" Isabelle suggested after a moment. "Well I've been engaged to Jace my whole life so not much on that front," I said. "Poor soul," Isabelle whispered, patting my shoulder.

"Well Emma is totally smitten with her best friend, Julian," Isabelle spilled. "I am not!" Emma squealed at Isabelle. "Are too!" Isabelle said, before continuing, "Tessa has a few guys vying for her attention," she said smirking, while Tessa buried her face in her hands.

"What about you Maia?" I asked kindly. "Oh, I used to have a boyfriend, Jordan, but that's over now," she said sadly. "I'm sorry," I said, reaching for her hand.

"And you Isabelle?" I turned to her, letting my hand fall out of Maia's. "Isabelle has a crush on a kitchen boy!" Emma told me, as if it was the most scandalous thing she'd ever heard. And maybe it was.

"Oh god, it's so embarrassing," Isabelle said, her face reddening. "Why?" I asked, confused. "Because he's a kitchen boy and I'm high-born," she explained, wondering why I didn't get it. "So? Who cares about station?" I asked, dumbfounded. "But, Clary, you're a princess. You couldn't just marry some random beggar off the street." "I know that. I just always thought it was stupid." The girls took a moment to think about it and then all nodded in agreement. However, I doubted they would change their way of thinking – it was how they were brought up.

"Oh!" Maia exclaimed, looking at the clock. "We have to get you ready for dinner!" Tessa left to fetch my maids while the other three chose a dress for me to wear. After my maids had helped me get ready, Jace came to collect me and we walked down to dinner together.

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 **No Jace's POV in this chapter unfortunately, but next time!**

 **For those not aware, a Lady or Lady-in-Waiting is sort of like a queen or noble woman's personal assistant? Except they're more of a friend than a servant.**

 **Faerie is another country.**

 **Thank you for reading! Follow, favourite and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**We're back baby. I loved this story and I had so many ideas for it - some of which I remember - so let's see if I can continue it.**

 **I already talked about my absence and return when I updated my other story so I won't do it here, but we'll see where this goes.**

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 **Clary's POV**

Once Jace and I reached the dining room, he pulled my chair out for me before sitting next to me. The King and Queen were already there and smiled at us when we entered.

"Princess Clarissa dear, how are you settling in?" Queen Celine asked me as the servants placed our first course in front of us. "Well, thank you, Your Majesty. The palace is exquisite, and my ladies are lovely." "I'm so happy to hear that," she told me. "I want you to feel at home here." Me too, I thought to myself, but I simply smiled at the Queen.

King Stephen broke away from talking to Jace and turned to me, "Has Jonathan spoke to you about the upcoming wedding?" I glanced at Jace, who looked back at me nervously, before saying "No, Your Highness, we have not yet discussed it. The two of us haven't really had much time together as of yet."

"Ah yes, I'm sorry. That will soon change of course. Why don't you spend tomorrow together?" he asked the both of us. "Splendid idea, that would be wonderful," I said, looking to my left at Jace. "I have plans with Alec until noon, but after that, sure. That sounds great," he said kindly before resuming eating.

"Surely your plans with Alexander can be rearranged. Can they not, Jonathan?" Stephen said with a pointed look at his son. Before he could say anything, I chimed in, "No, it's really alright. We have our whole lives to get to know one another." Jace placed his hand over mine on the table while his mother beamed at us.

We spent some time eating the delicious meal cooked by their amazing staff while discussing current affairs before the topic of Jace and I's forthcoming nuptials was brought back up. "Stephen darling, what was it you wanted to discuss with the princess? About the wedding?" the Queen asked.

"Oh of course. Thank you for reminding me. The wedding will take place a month from today which should give the servants enough time to get everything organised." A month? Wow. I knew it would be soon, but I still couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that I would be someone's wife soon. Jace's wife.

I smiled nervously which prompted Celine to tell me that she would send servants in to measure me for my dress tomorrow. I thanked her and took a sip of wine, still processing the whole situation.

After dinner, I walked back with Jace to our rooms. He didn't say much on the way, just told me to have a good night and he'd see me tomorrow. He left me at my door before walking over to his own. I followed him with my eyes as I stayed standing outside my room, not going in just yet.

There was a beautiful girl with blonde hair and a stunning blue dress standing outside of Jace's rooms. My stomach dropped as I realised he was probably seeing her. It wasn't jealousy, I told myself. I barely even knew the boy; how could I be jealous that he was in a relationship with someone else? No, it was annoyance. I was annoyed that he got to whore around the castle while I had to spend my whole life waiting to marry him, not allowed any other relationships. _It's not like there were many opportunities for that,_ my subconscious tells me, but still. I was annoyed that even when we were married, I would have to share him with others. I would be his dutiful wife, never straying, while he could be with anyone he pleased. And I'd have to put up with it.

I tore my eyes from the two of them, whispering to each other in front of his door, before turning my door knob and going inside.

I called for my maids to help me undress and then put my nightgown on. I looked at the clock. It was still rather early – only 9pm – and I wasn't ready to sleep yet but what should I do? I rummaged through my trunk for one of the books I'd brought. When I eventually did find one, it was one that I'd read hundreds of time and knew like the back of my hand. Come to think of it, they were all like that. I only had space to bring my favourites.

There must be a library in the castle somewhere. I wanted to read something knew, and maybe they would have titles here I had never even heard of. The only problem was I had no idea where it was. I could ask Jace, I'm sure he take me, but he was likely busy with his lover and I didn't want to interrupt anything.

I grabbed the lantern off my desk and set off into the massive castle. Finally, after at least 20 minutes of searching – _seriously how many rooms did this place have?_ – I pushed open a set of double doors to hundreds of shelves full of books waiting to be read.

I walked around for a while, picking up books that sounded interesting. My arm was starting to ache from carrying the books but there was so much of the library I still hadn't explored. While I was contemplating whether to explore further or just take these ones back to my room and return another night, a lamp flicked on in the corner. "Jace?"

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 **Follow, favourite and review! I'll update soon, I promise.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Jace's POV**

"What are you doing here?" Clary asked me. "Shouldn't you be with that blonde?" I winced; I didn't think she saw Kaelie.

"No. She came to see me, but I got rid of her," I replied. "Oh, so you're not sleeping with her?" she asked me pointedly, as if she already knew the answer. I gulped. "Er...well..." Yes, I've slept with Kaelie, more than a few times, but it's not like I have feelings for her. She's fun sometimes, when I'm bored, but most of the time she's just annoying.

She scoffed. "I thought so," she said harshly, turning away from me. "Clary wait-" "No Jace! It's fine. You and I, we're a business agreement. Sleep with whoever you want. I don't care." I knew that wasn't true. I could see in her shining eyes just how much she cared.

"I was only with her because you weren't here. But you are now. So, I'll stop, I promise," Was I really promising her that? I didn't even know her. But honestly, Kaelie, as well as other girls, were just a way to pass the time until I got married. After that, who knows? "I don't want to be in her position, Jace. Some toy that you use when you're bored and then throw away when you're done," she said, her voice shaking.

"You're not that, Clary. You'll never be that. You're going to be my wife," I said, trying to comfort her. "Yeah, that you didn't choose!" she argued.

I recoiled. She was right. I may not have chosen Clary as my wife, but that didn't mean I wasn't excited for her to be. "That doesn't change anything," I reassured her.

She re-positioned the books in her arms before saying, "Look, we're going to be married, whether we like it or not, so we need to stop arguing. You can be with her or any other girl if you want until then, and after even, and I need to accept that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to start an argument. Goodnight, Jace."

What the hell was she sorry for? I understood where she was coming from and I don't want to be an unfaithful husband because I've seen the effect my father's mistresses have had on my mother. But I barely knew the girl. I couldn't commit myself to her yet. Before I could think of something to say, she had turned and left the library.

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 **Clary's POV**

I woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through my windows and my maids placing a tray of food on the table at the other end of my room.

I had barely begun eating when my ladies burst through the door. The sight of them brought a smile to my face. I was so happy I had friends here, especially as Jace and I weren't on the best of terms.

"How are things going with Jace?" Isabelle asked me before taking a bite of an apple. "Not the best," I played with the ends of my hair nervously. Tessa hugged me from the side while Isabelle took my hand and said, "Jace has walls around his heart. Always has. It's going to take some time for him to warm up to you. But he will, I know it."

"The sooner the better. Our wedding is in a month." The girls all squealed in excitement and started chattering quickly. "Can we talk about something else? I'm not really in the mood right now." They all nodded and suggested we go for a walk in the grounds. From what I'd seen, they were beautiful, and I was excited to explore.

Later, I was walking through the flower garden with my ladies, laughing and chatting about our lives before I arrived. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jace coming around the corner straight for us. I cursed under my breath, remembering that I was supposed to be spending the day with him.

"Clary," he said brightly when he reached us. My ladies all curtsied while I simply stared at him and said stiffly, "Jace".

He took hold of my arm gently and pulled me away from my friends. "We got off on the wrong foot. Let me make it up to you." I sighed, knowing I should, and nodded in agreement.

Jace led me towards the stables where he asked a stable hand to fetch two horses for us. The boy's eyes lingered on me a little too long, causing Jace to scowl at him. He quickly hurried away and I scolded Jace playfully.

"So where are we going?" "My secret spot," he said with a smirk. Intrigued, I allowed him to help me on to one of the horses and then followed along beside him to this 'secret spot' of his.

The journey took us across the castle grounds and into the woods. Eventually we came upon a clearing where the sunlight shone beautifully through the trees and glimmered on the surface of the lake. "It's beautiful," I breathed.

Jace smiled at me as he helped me down from my horse. His smile was beautiful and the radiance of it stunned me. I stood, looking at the water, while Jace rummaged in his saddle bag. When he returned, he was carrying a blanket and a satchel full of food.

I helped him set the blanket down on the grass and lay the food out before settling down next to him on top of the blanket. We avoided discussing Kaelie and our dispute last night, instead filling each other in on our lives up until now. He told me about his hobbies (fencing and playing piano), his friends (Alexander and Isabelle mostly but some noble children too), his parents (he loves them more than anything and they love him, but he wishes they loved each other more. His father has a mistress named Maryse – Alec and Isabelle's mother! But Jace believes he still loves Celine too) and his hopes for the future (to be a better king than his father and to do right by his country).

I told him about my parents and Lucian, my father's reluctance to teach me anything of benefit, my relationship with Sebastian, and the fact that I didn't have many friends growing up. "I just really miss them." I lay back on the blanket, looking up at the sky and the leaves while thinking of my family, and Jace moved to lie next to me. "I know. You'll see them at the wedding though, right?"

"Yeah, you're right." A month wasn't a long time; I could wait. But it was also a month until Jace and I's wedding, and a month until I became princess of Idris.

"Are you scared?" I whispered into the evening air after a moment. Jace turned his head to look at me, but I kept my eyes trained on the sky above us. "Yes," he exhaled, leading me to look at him. "I don't want us to end up like my parents, or yours." I processed what he said, thinking of Kaelie, before voicing my thoughts, "It kind of feels inevitable."

Jace sat up, leaning on one arm, and said "Not necessarily. Just because that's all we've known doesn't mean we're going to follow the same path." He took my hand in his, playing with my fingers. "I hope you grow to love me, Clary, and I hope I'll love you." "Me too," I said earnestly.

By the time we left the clearing, the stars were shining brightly in the sky and it was clear we had missed dinner. We finished the food hours before, so I was famished. "Don't worry, we can get food in the kitchens," Jace assured me, reaching for my hand. I let him take it, glad of the progress we had made today, and walked with him to the castle.

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 **Getting some ideas for the future of this story now!**

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